Thursday, June 17, 2010

Guest Post - Stacey Wallace Benefiel

Yeah, it's something I do a lot. I want you to know that I see you and I acknowledge you! Thanks for choosing my blog to follow!

Today we are very fortunate to have the lovely Stacey Wallace Benefiel stopping by with a guest post! Let's see what she has to say shall we?

Hello all!

I was very pleased when Jessica asked me if I would like to do a guest post on her blog. To change things up, instead of talking about YA, which is the genre I write in, I thought I’d discuss some children’s books, which is the genre I most often read in these days.

I specifically wanted to spread the word about a wonderful illustrator and writer from the UK, Alison Jay. My college roommate sent my children three books that Alison illustrated for Christmas and they have become beloved favorites in our house.

The three titles we own are If Kisses Were Colors, I Took the Moon for a Walk, and Listen, Listen. The writing in each of these books is done by a different author, but they are all similar in rhyme and beautifully lyrical. It’s hard to tell if the words or the illustrations came first.

Alison Jay uses quick drying oil paint on paper and sometimes applies a crackle varnish to age her artwork. She is quite adept at painting nature; little woodland creatures and puffball trees and rolling hills. The people are all sweet small faced folk with tiny hands and pleasant expressions on their faces.

My particular favorites are her skies. The blues are very true and change gradually with the time of day or season. They are all at once folk art and realistic. A joy to look at.

I recommend all three of the books that we own! My 3-year-old is partial to I Took the Moon for a Walk because he is fascinated with space and planets and the boy in the book looks like him. My 1-year-old likes the other two because there are more birds and squirrels in them and those are words she likes to say...a lot.

Parents and caregivers, if you need a break from books about trucks or princesses, Alison Jay is a treat for both you and your children.

Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the author of Glimpse, her debut YA novel.

She is mom to Gus, 3, and Arlo,1. When she was younger and had more energy, she worked at a preschool.